Light and Darkness
by LadyTeefStrife
Summary: Two months after Cloud's disappearance he had returned and Leon and Sora need to talk to him. Were is Tifa and what is 'her light' ? Sephiroth is really gone?
1. Light and Darkness

**A/N**: My first fic in Kingdom Hearts world.

Leon: "Nice to meet you."

LadyTeefStrife: "Wow... Look oldie Squall! You have grown up!"

Squall: *glare* "My name is Leon."

Zack: "Don't you dare glare at her. The only ones who can are Kou and Cloud." *glares at Leon*

Leon: "Who are you? Some kind of porcupine?"

LadyTeefStrife: "Okay, you two, that's enough."

Cloud: "**Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife don't own anything**. Leon. Looks we'll be together this time."

Tifa: "Leon is here too?"

LadyTeefStrife: "Okay, you guys... I have to start already..."

* * *

**To:** Kitsune13's 'Requiem' (I love the final chap ^.^)

**Prompt:** Cloud's light and darkness.

**Title**: Light and Darkness.

Cloud, Leon and Sora stood in the Dark Depths.

Cloud looked the sky. Two months ago, he disappeared there with his worst nightmare, leaving alone again the woman he loved. Now that he had won and returned, Sora and Leon had stopped him and dragged him here to talk.

Tifa and Sephiroth were nowhere to be seen, and Cloud wanted to find her again.

Cloud remembered this last two months.

___

He was in the darkness, everything was black.

**"You can't run away from me."**

He was in the light, everything was white.

_"You can have my light!"_

He was lost, everything was grey.

___

"No colour in my life."

"you'll still running away from her?" Leon's voice sounded from behind him.

"That's not your business." It wasn't.

"You know were she is?" Cloud turned at that. wasn't her with them?

Sora looked at Cloud. "The last ones who saw her are you and I." That battle. After fighting Sephiroth in the Lifestream of Radiant Garden, he had retuned following the light, but she wasn't there.

"Sora told us she gave you her light."

**"That woman was stupid."**

Cloud and Leon turned to the voice. "Sephiroth!" They readied their weapons.

**"She gave you her light?"** Sephiroth snickered. Cloud, Leon and Sora were confused.

"She gave you her heart!" Sora was in Cloud's right. "I finally got it! It's just like Kairi! I had her heart inside me once too!"

"But that means it must be a nobody and a heartless of her around too." Leon looked around them.

Sephiroth laughted. **"You fools! you don't understand anything!" **Cloud felt dizzy.

___

_'.... Cloud...'_ Cloud froze.

"That voice."

_'Cloud...' _

___

"Tifa?"

"Cloud...?" Cloud blinked. Leon was looking at him.

"I'm fine, where's Sephiroth?" Cloud looked around but found nothing.

"He left. I don't think he was 'real' " Leon put his gunblade over his shoulder.

"Yeah, he just stood there talking."

"How you know so much about this? about Tifa and-"

"King Mickey send me a letter."

"He told you to come here?" Sora nodded.

"It seems I still have something to do here." Sora was staring at Cloud. "Can you hear her? When Kairi was inside of me, I saw and heard her."

"I just heard her."

Sora nodded. "There's no nobody and heartless because she's not 'human'." It wasn't a question. "She was light. Your light. As the same Sephiroth is your darkness."

"You mean one can't exist without the other?" Leon turned to Sora. "Like light and darkness?"

Sora nodded again. "But... " Sora looked at Cloud. "Sephiroth is here, but Tifa no? maybe they both are inside you."

After a long silence, Leon spoke. "So, to get rid of Sephiroth we have to get rid of Tifa too?" Cloud froze. Tifa is a solidification of light, as the same Sephiroth is of the darkness. but, it was still Tifa, _his_ Tifa.

"I won't do it." Cloud's tone was final.

Sora and Leon looked each other and then at Cloud. "Cloud... " Sora didn't know what to say.

"We'll think of something." Leon tried to calm Cloud.

"You two are proposing to kill Tifa in order to kill Sephiroth. I won't do it. Not now, not ever." Cloud turned and walked away.

Cloud reached Merlin's house. 'Maybe someone has another solution. Yuffie, Cid and Aerith won't let Tifa die.' Just then Cloud felted dizziness again.

___

_"....Cloud?" Everything was white._

"...Tifa?"

_"... Cloud? __Can you hear me?"_

"Tifa? ... I can." Everything turned grey.

**"Do you think you can save her?"**

_"Cloud, it's okay."_

**"Kill her with your own hands."**

_"Cloud, it's okay. It's the only way."_

**"Kill her and you'll be free."**

"I won't! Tifa! I- I can't do it!"

_"Cloud... It's okay. I love you. Always."_

___

"Tifa!" Cloud woke in a bed of Merlin's house.

"It's okay."

Aerith was in the doorframe of the room staring at him. Cloud got up and walked past her.

"Don't say that again." He was out of the room, his back to her.

"Leon and Sora found you passed out in front of the door. They told us about Sephiroth and Tifa." Aerith tried to look at his eyes. "Cloud, we both know it's the only way-"

"-Don't." Cloud took a step away from her. "Don't say her name again." Aerith was puzzled at Cloud's cold tone. "You have no right to say her name if you want to kill her." Cloud tried to exit the house, but everyone was blocking the door.

"We can't let you out. With Sephiroth inside you, you are a danger out there. Until you get rid of him you won't get out of our sight." Leon's voice was cold.

"You all want to kill Tifa. I won't let you." Cloud's voice was even colder.

"Cloud! Don't you understand!? It's the only way! We don't want to kill her! She's our friend! Tifa is like a sister to me! But we can't let him-!" Yuffie was sobbing.

Since Sora and Leon told everyone what was happening, Yuffie had been keeping in check her tears, but now it was too much. Aerith and Cid just weren't able to believe it at first, and Merlin just told everyone to be strong.

"I don't care. I won't kill her." Cloud stormed past everyone and directed himself towards the Bailey. When he arrived, he turned around and was relieved to see no one had followed him.

"You are Cloud, right?"

Cloud turned towards the voice. There they stood three little fairies.

"We were in Merlin's house too. I'm Yuna." The little fairy made a reverence.

"Paine" this one just crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"I'm Rikku!" This one was restraining herself to not bounce all over the place.

"And I'm Auron." The fairies and Cloud turned to the new voice. A tall man stood there. "I heard too."

"Auron!" Yuna and Rikku exclaimed at the same time.

"Yuna, nice to see you again, but we all are here for another matter."

"You are right." The three fairies started to shine, and then they transformed in three young girls. "Now, much better." They turned to Cloud. "You know why we are here?"

"You all want to kill her too?" Cloud was starting to get mad.

"You know? In our world, Yuny was ready to sacrifice herself in exchange to save the world too." Rikku put one arm around Yuna and squeezed.

"Rikku and my boyfriend tried to find a way to save me."

"why are you all telling me this? There's a way to save her?" Cloud's tone was hopeful now.

"No." Auron's voice sounded from behind them. "You have to understand her self-sacrifice and let her go. Tifa is not even human, this is her destiny."

"Shut up." Cloud walked past them. "I don't want to hear you anymore. You saved Yuna, you all are telling me to do something you yourself didn't do." Cloud kept walking and returned to the Dark Depths.

The feeling of dizziness returned.

___

_"Cloud, it's the only way."_ Everything was grey.

"I won't kill you Tifa, I love you."

_"I know, Cloud." _

**"Kill her."**

"No!"

_"Cloud? You have to fight him, not fisically, but mentally." _

"What?"

**"Kill her and you'll be free."**

_"Cloud, you have to fight the darkness. You have my light."_

"But everyone told me to kill you..."

**"Kill her."**

_"Remember? The darkness will sill be there, but in a place were he can't reach it. No matters if you get rid of him or not." _

"Then, he will be with me always?"

**"Kill her and you'll be free."**

_"The same as I. You have light too. the difference is in the balance. That's why you have to fight him."_

"You won't die?"

_"I already am."_

"What?"

_"I don't have a heart or a body. I'm only in your memories, Cloud."_

"No..."

**"Kill her and you'll be free of the darkness. Erase her. Forget her."**

_"Cloud, I gave you my heart and light, my whole soul. I'll be with you always."_

"I won't forget you Teef."

_"I know. Cloud, you have to get rid of the darkness."_

"How?"

_"Forgive him."_

"What? I- I can't."

_"Then you are just like him."_

"What?"

**"See? We are the same, Cloud."**

"No!"

_"Yes. Cloud you are living for vengeance, just like him."_

"How can I forgive him!?"

_"Cloud, I know it's hard. You have to forgive and forget." _

"Forget?"

**"Forget her." **And everything turned dark.

___

_'I'll protect you this time.'_

Cloud was in the bed of Merlin's house again.

"How many more times I have to drag you here?" This time it was Leon who was in the doorframe.

Cloud sat on the bed. After a long pause, Leon called everyone in the house.

"Cloud? What did you do?" Aerith's voice was worried. "I've never been able to feel her, but I can feel her now!"

"It was I." Everyone turned at Sora. "I have to introduce someone." Sora left and returned with a young man at his side. "This is Riku." Everyone nodded in greeting.

"Sora brought me here because my keyblade is the opposite as Sora's." At everyone blank expressions, he kept explaining. "Sora's keyblade closes hearts and mine opens them to darkness. So we used mine on him and freed Tifa."

"And now he's in darkness, then?" Leon's voice was curious.

"He was supposed to be a heartless now." Everyone grasped.

"She has protected me." Everyone turned to Cloud. "Aerith, were is she?"

"In the old castle."

* * *

**A/N**: End of chap 1!

Tifa: "You can't leave it like this!"

Cloud: "I'll go there to get her back, right?"

Leon: "You are cruel."

Zack: "Shut up and read the second chapter!"

LadyTeefStrife: "Thanks Zack, but chap 2 is not updated yet."

Zack: "You are cruel! you said you'd always make complete fics!"

LadyTeefStrife: "And it's completed. But I'll won't post the rest until the next time."

Cloud: "Why?"

LadyTeefStrife: "Duh, because we need reviews and hits to know if it's good, of course!"

Zack: "R&R! Long reviews fill our fridge!"

Cloud: "Zack, the fridge isn't empty yet."

LadyTeefStrife: "Thanks for reading!"

Tifa: "you'll update regardless, right?"

LadyTeefStrife: "Yeah, but reviews means less time of wait!!"

Leon: "You are cruel."

cloti is happiness!!


	2. Tifa

**A/N**: 2nd chappie!

LadyTeefStrife: "Okay, I've added this chap because I think it helps to understand better the story, just like 'Chain of Memories'.

Koudelka: "So, like 'Chain of Memories' no one needs to read this to understand the story."

LadyTeefStrife: "Well, I'm not forcing anyone. But it helps to understand it better."

Koudelka: *goes away* "Call me again when the chap 3 starts."

Leon: "That girl is a little cold..."

LadyTeefStrife: "A little?-"

Zack: "-Look who's talking!"

Cloud: "Zack, don't start again..."

Tifa: "Hi Leon!"

Leon: "RINOA!"

Cloud/Zack/Tifa: "WTF!?"

LadyTeefStrife: *sigh* "**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.** Teef, from now on you're not allowed to wear blue..."

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Title**: Tifa

__

Cloud is gone again.

But this time, I'm with him.

I gave him my heart and now I'm only in his memories, but it's okay, because I'm with him and he'll be with me.

He's so lost... Sephiroth is getting into him. I can sense his darkness, I know I have to do something but everywhere I look, the only thing I see is nothingness. Black, grey or white, but nothing more. So this is Cloud's heart?

_"You can have my light!"_

I heard my own voice. It seems that at least I can talk.

__

How much time has past since I'm being here? Sephiroth's darkness it's trying to get out of Cloud, but I'm fighting him. Every single 'day?' I try to talk to Cloud, making his heart stay in balance. But I know someday Sephiroth will win against me and he'll get away, after all I can't even touch him. The only thing I can do from here is make Cloud understand.

__

Cloud, I'm sorry.

**"That woman was stupid." **Yes, maybe I was. But the only way to save Cloud from you was give him my 'light'.

**"She gave you her light?"** Not only that. **"You fools! you don't understand anything!"** Huh? Fools? There are more people with Cloud? Then... He has returned.

__

_"Are you okay Cloud? Can you hear me?"_ I try to talk to him. Sephiroth is coming back inside.

"... Voice." Cloud's voice... I smile. It's been awhile since the last time I felt so relived.

"_Cloud, I love you."_ I hope he can hear me.

__

I feel his own feelings, his fear. I think he finally understood.

To get rid of the darkness you have to get rid of the light too, because one can't exist without the other. I feel him. This time the nothingness is white.

_"Can you hear me, Cloud?" _

"...Tifa?" I can hear him better now.

_"... Cloud? __Can you hear me?"_

"Tifa? ... I can." The nothingness turned grey. I feel his darkness.

_"Cloud, it's okay." _I need to calm him down or Sephiroth will use him again, and he needs to fight his own darkness._ "Cloud, it's okay. It's the only way."_ I can't hold on much more, Sephiroth is too strong for me alone.

"I won't! Tifa! I- I can't do it!" Can't do it? You've done it three times already.

_"Cloud, you can do it. It's okay. I love you. Always."_ Cloud's presence is vanishing. I only hope he can find the strength to reach for the light again.

___

I feel Cloud again. _"Cloud, it's the only way."_

"I won't kill you Tifa, I love you."

Kill me? Sephiroth must be talking to him too. _"I know, Cloud." _

"No!"

_"Cloud? You have to fight him, not fisically, but mentally." _

"What?" He sounds very confused.

_"Cloud, you have to fight the darkness. You have my light."_

"But everyone told me to kill you..." Everyone? Ret rid of the light to get rid of the darkness... They didn't get it...

_"Remember? The darkness will still be there, but in a place were he can't reach it. No matters if you get rid of him or not."_ No matters if you kill me or not, he can survive thanks to your own light.

"Then, he will be with me always?"

_"The same as I. You have light too. The difference is in the balance. That's why you have to fight him."_ Because everyone has light and darkness inside their hearts, you need to fight the darkness so he can't rule over your own heart.

"You won't die?"

Cloud... _"I already am."_

"What?"

_"I don't have a heart or a body. I'm only in your memories, Cloud."_

"No..."

_"Cloud, I gave you my heart and light, my whole soul. I'll be with you always."_

"I won't forget you Teef."

_"I know. Cloud, you have to get rid of the darkness."_ His darkness.

"How?"

How...? I'm Cloud's light because of the love we have in common, what is the thing that they have in common? _"Forgive him."_

"What? I- I can't."

_"Then you are just like him."_

"What?"A pause, and then "No!"

_"Yes. Cloud you are living for vengeance, just like him."_

"How can I forgive him!?"

_"Cloud, I know it's hard. You have to forgive and forget." _It's the only way.

"Forget?"

"Riku, you can do it?" Sora? why can I hear him?

"Are you sure about this? He'll be a heartless-"

"-I know the theory." Are they talking about Cloud? "Just do it, she won't let him be swallowed by the darkness."

"How you can be so sure? She's inside him, when we set her free she'll disappear and go back to her world and they'll be apart again. Not to mention he'll be a heart-"

"-He won't." A long pause, and then: "I've been trough that once, I know it's possible to survive it, and he won't accept any other solution. Even if they are apart, it's better than be 'dead', don't you think?" Heartless? They are going to get my heart out of him somehow? Cloud...

I felt a strange pull like a strong wind pushing me away. _"I'll protect you this time." _And then I was seeing him in the floor, Sora and a silver-haired boy were at Cloud's side. The silver-haired was holding a strange keyblade, and then Cloud's body started to turn black.

_"No!"_ I screamed. It can't end like this! _"Cloud!"_ And he started to shine.

__

I hear them.

"...Tifa!"

They are searching me.

"Tifa!"

I need darkness.

"Teef!" I smile.

Because light can't exist without darkness.

* * *

A/N: End of chap 2! (My first attempt at first person pov)

Tifa: "A whole chapter just for me?"

LadyTeefStrife: "Well, you are my favourite female character, after all."

Koudelka: *glare* "Oh, I suppose I should leave, then."

LadyTeefStrife: *shrug* "Do what you want, I don't care. Tifa is my favourite female character, you are the second or the third."

Tifa: "Koudelka, it's okay, LadyTeefStrife is just joking..."

LadyTeefStrife: "No I'm not. Besides, Kou, you were supposed to be away until chap 3..."

Koudelka: "You want me to go away again?"

LadyTeefStrife: "I told you before, do what you want."

Koudelka: "**Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife don't own anything**. I'm glad I'm not your favourite character."

LadyTeefStrife: "And why is that?"

Koudelka: "Because you kill and hurt your favourite characters."

Zack: "That's not true! I haven't been killed or hurt!"

Cloud: "...R&R."

Leon: "...Thanks for reading."

cloti is happiness!!


	3. Perfect Balance

**A/N**: Final chap is here!

Leon: "So you keep your promises."

LadyTeefStrife: "Of course I do!"

Cloud/Tifa/Zack: "**Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife don't own anything**!"

LadyTeefStrife: "Thanks guys!"

* * *

_"Sora's keyblade closes hearts and mine opens them to darkness. So we used mine on him and freed Tifa."_

_"And now he's in darkness, then?" Leon's voice was curious._

_"He was supposed to be a heartless now." Everyone grasped._

_"She has protected me." Everyone turned to Cloud. "Aerith, were is she?"_

_"In the old castle."_

* * *

**Chapter 3- Title**: Perfect balance

Cloud and Leon entered in another room.

"We better split up. There are no heartless here anymore." Cloud nodded his response.

They have been searching Tifa for four hours now. Aerith only said she was here, she can't feel exactly were Tifa is, but that didn't stop Cloud. Shouts of 'Tifa' sounded everywhere, until...

"Teef!" She was in the floor, unmoving. "Tifa!" Cloud closed the distance between them and kneeled at her side. "Ti-" When he tried to lift her, his hand run through her. Cloud froze.

"Cloud! Have you found-" Leon's voice got caught in his throat. Tifa was shining and vanishing.

"... No. Tifa!" Cloud tried to lift her again, and again his hand couldn't touch her. Leon kneeled at the other side and tried to touch her. He succeeded. "What...?" Cloud and Leon where frozen.

"I don't know what is happening, but at least she's here." Cloud nodded and let Leon lift her in his arms. "We'll take her to Aerith, maybe she knows something." Cloud nodded again.

___

**"Cloud..."** everything was black.

"Tifa?"

**"Now no one will stand in my way. No stupid woman nor light will stop me."**

"Sephiroth!"

**"You are in the darkness, Cloud. This is your place."**

"No!"

_'Cloud'_

**"No! ****You are supposed to be dead! He doesn't have your heart anymore!" **

_'Cloud... I love you.'_

"Teef... I love you too." Everything turned grey.

**"Shut up!"**

_'Cloud..._ _Remember? The darkness will still be there, but in a place were he can't reach it. No matters if you get rid of him or not. You have light too'_

**"Don't listen to her!"**

"Tifa..."

_'Cloud, I gave you my heart and light, my whole soul. I'll be with you always.'_

**"She's fooling you! We are the same! Your place is in the darkness!"**

_'I don't have a heart or a body. I'm only in your memories, Cloud.'_

"Then... These are my memories?"

_'Cloud... It's okay. I love you. Always.'_

"Teef..."

**"You are not fit to be in the light! Your place is in the past! In the darkness!"**

"The past... Forgive and forget?"

_'Cloud, it's okay. It's the only way.'_

"... Yeah... It's time to move on."

**"No!"**

"...Goodbye, General Sephiroth." And everything turned white.

___

"Cloud?" There she was. Bright and beautiful as always. _His_ Tifa.

"Teef." Cloud smiled.

"What are you talking about?" Black leather clothes turned pink, burgundy eyes turned green. Aerith. "You thought I was Tifa?"

"Where is she?" Cloud got up from the bed he was in.

"She's okay, she's a little weak and tired, but she's already up and waiting for you outside with the others." Aerith got back to the other room.

'She's okay' Cloud found those words the best thing in the world.

"Cloud!" Maybe he was wrong, that sounded even better. Tifa's voice sounded from the doorframe, and a second later she was in his arms.

"They finally let me in!" Tifa's voice sounded weak.

"Are you okay?" Cloud looked at her face, she was a little pallid.

"I'm fine." She smiled. "But being inside another person for so long and being thrown away later get's you tired." She laughed softly and nuzzled his neck. Then, Tifa's smile disappeared. "You... I mean... I'm not human. I'm light, no body, just a soul-"

"-I know. It's okay." Cloud kissed her forehead. "I need your light, Tifa. I need you."

"I know." Tifa kissed Cloud. "Light can't exist without darkness." They stared at each other's eyes. "You'll be my darkness?"

"Always."

He wasn't light. But he wasn't in the darkness anymore either.

Because the darkness will still be there, but in a place where _'He'_ can't reach it.

* * *

**A/N**: If someone didn't get it: Tifa was ONLY light when he found her, that's why he, being only darkness (at that moment) couldn't touch her, because the light and the darkness can't touch each other. It happened the same with Sephiroth and Tifa.

Cloud: "This was short."

LadyTeefStrife: "So what?"

Tifa: "I liked it. After all, Cloud is my darkness." *Tifa kisses Cloud in the cheek*

Cloud: *blush* "Okay, I suppose it wasn't bad..."

Zack: "Our little Cloud is blushing?"

LadyTeefStrife/Cloud/Tifa: "Shut up, Zack."

Leon: "So, I'm only here to transport them?"

LadyTeefStrife: "And for the disclaimer."

Leon: *sigh* "**Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife don't own anything.**"

Zack: "You can say 'no' you know."

Leon: "Why should I? She only asked me to say the disclaimer."

LadyTeefStrife: "Thanks, Leon. It's nice to find someone who understands me."

Cloud/Zack: "R&R."

Tifa: "Zack loves long reviews!"

Leon: "Flames will be used to make a barbecue."

Cloud/Tifa/Zack/LadyTeefStrife: "WTF!?"

Leon: "Thanks for reading."

cloti is happiness!!

__

Reviewers of chap 1- Thanks:

**kitsune13**: OMG! Your reviews are soo nice! Soo good!! X3 You get it even better than myself! Wow, I was hoping someone besides me got the little things of this story, but wow, you have got them all!

**Helliebabe**: Well, I hope you like these chaps too!! And about 'I want more now', well, in my profile I'd said 'I'll update once in a month' and I have updated trice in two weeks, so... ;)

**Ninja Sheik**: Glad you liked it!!

**Surki25**: I hated it too when Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth just disappear. All that tough and long battle for that? I was like "you can't leave me like this! C'mon! Where are they! Tifa, no! Not you too!! COME BACK HERE!! TIFA!!" So the only solution is read or make fics about that! ^.^ And I LOVE the guys of FF7!!

**Anon**: anonym. Thanks for saying the story and the plot are good ^.^ About the spelling and grammar: have you read my profile? I'm from Spain, I don't have a traductor, my spell-checker is crappy and no, I don't have a beta-reader (though maybe soon I'll have one...). And I'm the first one who says my English is 'poor-English' (but I don't get it... you are the first one who has any complaints... Everyone who has said something about it just said it was good...) Oh, well I like to learn, so if you have any suggestion for me to improve, I'll be glad to read it! ^.^


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